Nicholas Lyndhurst, best known for playing Rodney Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, is set to return as a sidekick in the upcoming reboot of Frasier on Paramount+. The 10-episode series sees Lyndhurst portray Prof Alan Cornwall, a tweedy English friend of Kelsey Grammer's Frasier Crane. The role marks a continuation of Lyndhurst's long career as a supporting comic actor.
Lyndhurst's most famous role was as Rodney, the younger brother of Derek 'Del Boy' Trotter, played by David Jason, in Only Fools and Horses, which ran from 1981 to 2003. His character often served as the straight man to Del Boy's schemes, with memorable lines such as 'Sit down, Rodney, and keep your brains warm.'
Before Only Fools, Lyndhurst appeared in the 1978 sitcom Butterflies, playing Adam Parkinson, one of two teenage sons to Wendy Craig's character. The show, written by Carla Lane, featured Lyndhurst alongside the late Andrew Hall as his brother Russell.
Lyndhurst and Grammer first worked together in the English National Opera's production of Man of La Mancha in London in 2019. Grammer has praised Lyndhurst, calling him 'one of the funniest people I've ever worked with' and warning American producers that Lyndhurst would steal scenes in the Frasier reboot.
At 62, Lyndhurst's role in Frasier represents a shift from his earlier 'plonker' persona to a more mature character. Critics have been cautious about the reboot, but much depends on Lyndhurst's performance as he effectively replaces David Hyde Pierce's Niles Crane as Frasier's sidekick.
